This invention relates generally to trash compacting apparatus, and more specifically to an improved compaction system whereby refuse fed into a chute from various floors of a multi-story building is used to automatically cycle the system to thereby compact it in a container for easy disposal thereof.
Many forms of trash compactor devices are known in the art. In general, they include means for collecting the trash in a chamber located beneath or to one side of a movable platen. When the platen is activated, it enters the chamber and applies a relatively high force to the trash to thereby reduce its volume and store it in a container. Many of these devices are manually operated and require almost continuous operator attention to load the unit with loose waste, operate the unit and unload the compacted waste. While other prior art devices are automatic or semi-automatic in nature, they have not been altogether commercially successful because of inherent problems in reliability in the design thereof. In normal use in a wide variety of commercial establishments, trash compactors of the type described herein are subjected to a wide variety of refuse including paper, cardboard, cans, bottles, lumber, wire, etc. While certain of the prior art arrangements operate satisfactorily on such things as paper and cardboard, they are generally unable to handle and dispose of many of the other items of trash normally encountered.